money. he stops by the consumer financial protection bureau. that is happening this hour. going to bring you his remarks live from that event. the president appointed richard cordray to head the bureau. it regulates everything from mortgages, to credit cards, to pay day loans. republicans say that cordray's appointment is not valid because of the way it was handled. cordray predicts they're going to come around. >> the congressional leaders, they hear from and they serve the very same people that we're now serving. they hear the stories about people losing their homes, buried in debt that they didn't understand or maybe wasn't fully explained to them, frauds and skam scams that occur out there. our job is to make the marketplace work better for consumers. as we do that, we'll win our way forward. a bomb blast ripped through syria's capital today. state tv reports that 25 people were killed, 46 others wounded. most of them civilians. the syrian media are calling it a terrorist suicide attack. now the government blames

similar bombings two weeks ago on al qaeda. the opposition accuses the government of staging the blasts to back up a claim that it's fighting terrorists. iran planning more war games. state-run media report another round of military drills are going to take place next month in the straight of hormuz. the most recent exercises ended just this week. tensions now have been rising over this strategic critical waterway. iran threatened recently to block the strait if new sanctions harm iranian oil exports. the government also threatens to take action if u.s. air craft carrier goes through the strait. italy's mount etna roaring back to life. ireporter joseph posten caught all of it on video. he said it started rumbling yesterday morning. once he saw the huge ash cloud he pulled out the camera and his eruption reportedly poses no danger to villagers. so far no flights have been

canceled because of that big ash cloud. well, new orleans. city leaders there say teenagers not welcomed in the french quarter at night. the city council passed a controversial measure to keep those under 17 out of the district after 8 clock. they say it could lead to police profiling. they say it's about protecting teenagers. >> they're children. they should not be in a place that has over 350 alcohol beverage outlets and countless strip clubs. >> take a little more time. get some evidence. back off. do it slowly and then you'll know you've done it right. more now on the latest signs the job market is moving now in the right direction. the december jobs report was better than most economists predicted. the labor department says that employers added 200,000 jobs last month. alison kosik is joining us from the new york stock exchange. alison, finally some good news here. we're starting the new year realizing unemployment rate is

down just a little bit. more jobs than expected. overall is this a good picture? is it a good sign? >> it is. suzanne, it is very encouraging especially when you look at how the trend is going. look at 2011. 1.6 million jobs were added last year. if you want to put it in perspective even more, look how far we've come. 2008, 2009 we lost 8 million jobs, gone, poof. we saw jobs start to come back in 2010. job creation really picked up steam in the second half of 2011. other positives happening here. fewer people are working part time when they want more. that indicates that they could be finding more full-time work. what you said, the 8.5% unemployment rate is the lowest in almost three years. good stuff coming out of this report, suzanne. >> any sectors in particular in the economy that added those jobs. where are these jobs coming from? >> this is more good news because the recovery when you look deep into this report, it's not limited to one area.

you look at the jobs, they're wiet sprea widespread. it's important to see that. the only sector that's cutting jobs is the government. now what we did see are big gains in transportation, 50,000 jobs added there. watch out for seasonal hiring there. you may see that number dip in the february report because of jobs at fed ex, ups. education and health care, we saw gains there. they're typically strong. in a recession they're recession proof. retail, watch out for seasonal hiring there. manufacturing, automakers are doing pretty well lately. good sales figures coming in. they're hiring as well. then of course leisure and hospitality. those usually come out on top as well. suzanne. >> why aren't we seeing a big rally with the markets? are they taking this report seriously? >> you are seeing the dow down 51 points. the reality is this jobs data didn't blow away expectations. sure things are improving, but

as things improve, suzanne, expectations are rising. the way the economy is right now, it's taken off its training wheels. it's moving along. we still haven't moved into the fast lane. wall street wants to see the economy pick up more speed. of course, europe's problems are still front and center. that's really going to limit any big rally that you'd see here unless, of course, you get that number that just sort of blows away expectations. we didn't get that number today, suzanne. >> thank you very much, alison. love that sweater by the way. good color for you. >> nice color. i was going to say the same thing. >> we got the memo. all right. have a good weekend. >> exactly. president obama bypassed republicans to appoint a new head of the consumer financial protection bureau. later this hour the president visits director richard cordray and the other employees at that bureau. we'll bring you the president's remarks live. that will happen around 11:40 eastern. we'll tell you exactly what the consumer financial protection bureau is and what it

does. then republican presidential candidate rick santorum sets his sights on south carolina. we'll go there live. also illegal immigration, what the candidates are saying about that. and a police chase. horrific bus crash caught on tape. finally, the human factor. you'll meet an olympic swimmer who goes from tragedy to triumph. >> i was getting sixth and seventh place and now i got an olympic gold. there is hope. have you to stick with it and keep with it. [ male announcer ] feeling like a shadow of your former self? c'mon, michael! get in the game! [ male announcer ] don't have the hops for hoops with your buddies? lost your appetite for romance? and your mood is on its way down. you might not just be getting older. you might have a treatable condition called low testosterone or low t. millions of men, forty-five or older, may have low t.

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newt gingrich pushing ahead in new hampshire right now. gingrich is in newport.

that's where he's trying to take some of the wind out of the front-runner, mitt romney's sale sails. the primary is four days away. >> barak obama's view of the past of america is fundamentally different. therefore, his vision for the future is different. so understand how foundational this election is. >> everybody has these fights over whether we're going to go right or we're going to go left. nobody realizes the steering wheel's not connected. >> i'm betting that politics is still done the old-fashioned way in this state, and that is you have to be seen, you have to be heard, you have to be felt. so we're going to put it to the test next week. >> rick santorum may be looking for votes right now in new hampshire, but he is also keeping an eye on south carolina. he's hoping a win in a republican primary there using old-fashioned retail politics. getting out, shaking hands, showing up at a lot of small

events. the strategy almost won him iowa. he needs to talk up his foreign economic policies if he wants to be seen more than just a social conservative candidate. >> game on. >> reporter: rick santorum may have surged on a wave of evangelical support in iowa, but now he has to show south carolina conservatives he's not just a one-state sensation. they're looking for someone who can beat president obama. >> that's what they're saying, that's right. >> reporter: they're looking for a winner. >> that's exactly right. >> reporter: across the crowded republican field, conservative positions on social issues like gay marriage and abortion are a given. southern politics and reridge gone expert james guth says he can't win south carolina on faith alone. >> reporter: when it comes to values, he's in. >> i think he's in good stead with south carolina republicans. >> reporter: then he's got to show them he's got what it takes on the economy. >> he has to be more than a one issue or two-issue candidate.

>> >> reporter: defense? >> that's very important here. >> reporter: south carolina evangelicals are more politically diverse than they were in 2008 when they gave one-time baptist minister mike huckabee a strong second place finish. their priorities changing with the times. >> reporter: what's the number one issue to you? >> reporter: at the weekly fellowship dinner at the millbrook baptist church in aik aiken, i find people ready to vote with their wallet. >> jobs. >> more people have training for jobs that they just can't find. >> reporter: but faith is still an issue. and in these matters, evangelicals tell me they are looking for consistency. >> we divide the line about who's the most pure sometimes and so -- >> reporter: what zmooum purely conservative? >> purely on the social issues dependable. so last time huckabee was very dependable. he is a he a baptist pastor. >> reporter: who would be that

dependable this go around? >> it would be santorum at this point, i believe. >> reporter: it's a start but no guarantee. santorum still has to prove to south carolina's evangelicals and social conservatives he has a plan to given and the ability to win it all. >> david joins us live from greenville, south carolina. david, obviously this state prides itself on picking presidents. usually they get it right when it comes to the republicans. what's their track record? >> reporter: that's right. that is a huge source of pride here. since 1980 every single republican candidate who has won here has gone on to win the nomination of the party. they believe that theirs is the ability to be a kingmaker in this election. that's not something they're willing to let go of. they're going to be looking very closely not only at the records of all of these candidates but also at candidates' electability. that will play very big here.

>> david, thanks. coming up in the next hour of newsroom our wolf blitzer will have a snapshot of where the race stands in south carolina now. stay tuned for a new poll at the top of the hour. all this week we've been taking a hard look at where the candidates stand on the issues. today we look at immigration. front-runner mitt romney says he wants to finish the security fence along the border with mexico. and he's against the dream act. that's a bill being purnd in congress that will allow illegal immigrants to go to american colleges and enlist in the military as a path to citizenship. romney says that will only encourage more people to come here illegally. newt gingrich wants the country to take what he calls 100% control of the border with mexico using the national guard to patrol it. he signed a pledge to finish the border fence. he also turned heads at a cnn debate when it came time to talk about deportations. >> let's be humane in enforcing the law without giving them

citizenship but by finding a way to create legality so that they are not separate frd their family. >> jon huntsman says he is repulsed by the idea of a fence but that it is probably necessary. he also said he favors a path to citizenship. sending back people is unrealistic. border security important to ron paul. he'd like to bring troops home to patrol the border with mexico. he voted against the dream act and he's against the idea of a fence. rick perry's campaign website touts his record on border security, but he's against the idea of building a fence. >> if you build a 30 foot wall from el paso to brownsville, 35 foot ladder business gets real good. >> he's attacked the federal version of the dream act but defends a similar law in texas that lets children of illegal

immigrants qualify for in-state college tuition. rick santorum says finish the fence but he also doesn't believe in mass deportations or in giving amnesty to illegal immigrants. all right. so now's your chance to talk back. immigration, jobs, national security. these are just some of the issues the candidates have focused on during the debates at campaign stops. want to know what topic you'd like them to discuss. today's talk back question, what is your number one issue and why? post your responses to my facebook page at facebook.com/suzannecnn. we'll air some of those later this hour. this story. corn just might be a super food considering what happened in central michigan. police say that corn stalks, right, saved a boy's life after a rollover crash. we'll explain how.

all right. checking out compelling stories, videos making news cross-country. first up oklahoma city. this is where a city bus camera caught the dramatic end of a police chase. you've got to take a look at this. unbelievable. local media reports some burglary suspects. they ran the red light as they tried to get away. truck t boned the car and then it crashed before coming to a stop. police caught the three suspects. a fourth is still on the run. one person went to the hospital with minor injuries. central michigan where police say corn stalks, right, kept a car from crushing a 7-year-old boy ejected in a rollover crash. unbelievable. four kids, two adults were in that car. the boy was the only one slightly injured. police say the driver was going

too fast when he lost control. and spectators got a whale of a treat in honolulu harbor. that is right, as many as six hump back whales gave them an unexpected show right at the dock. it lasted for hours yesterday. pretty cool stuff. it is a whole new year of cnn heroes. this is a year round campaign to honor everyday folks who are changing the world. of course it begins with you. want you to go to "cnn heroes".com. give them a chance to expand their life changing work of helping others. give them the recognition that they deserve. anderson cooper shows you how. >> tonight we gather to honor the best that humanity has to offer. >> if you join us we'll be unstoppable. >> we're looking for everyday people who are changing the world. how do we find these extraordinary people? with your help. you can nominate someone right now at cnn heroes.com. maybe your hero is defending the planet by protecting the

environment. >> people really care. >> or helping people overcome obstacles. >> there will be no man left behind as long as we are this nation. >> or finding a unique approach to solving a problem. whatever their cause, nominating a cnn hero is easy. first go to krn heroes.com. click nominate. we ask for basic information about you and your nominee. tell us what makes your hero extraordinary. >> who like the pasta? >> me. >> how are they changing lives for the better? it's important to write from your heart because it's your worse that'll make your hero's story stand out. a couple of tips. please don't nominate yourself. it's against the rules. it's not necessary to nominate someone over and over. we read each and every nomination, really, we do. be selective. those honored are truly dedicating their lives to severing others. after you've told us about your hero click "submit."

it's that simple. nominate someone today. >> this has been the greatest night of my life. all right. if you know someone who's making a big difference in the lives of others, just go to cn cnn heroes.com and tell us about them. your words might change the life of someone who is working everyday to help others. the numbers in for the december jobs report and they are better than expected. what does the report really say about the state of the economy? we'll talk with one of my favorite economists and get his take on it after the break. man: my eltrill s king ban this team of guinea pigs to ty bo so to save some y, d inea pig: row...row. they genatectry, wch le me rf t. guinea pig: row...row.took one, 8 months to get the guin: ..row.ow...row. they genatectry, wch le me rf t. lile cbby one to yell row!

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here's a rundown of some of the stories we are working on. more americans are now working. that's right. unemployment reaches an almost three-year low. you'll find out where and why. then each republican candidate has his own ideas for creating and saving jobs. in just a few minutes president obama unveiling a brand new government agency and the man he picked to run it. it's going to be live here on cnn. encouraging news about the job market, economy. the late eggs jobs market out shows hiring picked up in december. the labor department says that employers added 200,000 jobs. december, the sixth month in a row where we saw 100,000 jobs or more added. the unemployment rate ticking down just slightly 8.5%. joining us to talk about the numbers, what they mean, danny boston, professor of economics at georgia tech. my favorite economist. one of my favorite. no, my favorite. >> there you go.

i'm moving up in the world. >> we've got some good news here, do we not? is this significant? >> this is significant. they're the headline numbers. they're what's happening beneath the headline. the headline is that the rate went down from 8.7% to 8.5%. then the jobs, of course, 200,000 jobs. but more significantly is the fact of where the jobs were being created. in manufacturing, in construction, transportation. those industries that were hardest hit by the recession are the industries where jobs are being recovered. >> so those jobs that were lost are coming back. are they high paying jobs, low paying? do they have health benefits? >> they do. what you find is that another encouraging number is even the persons who are employed part time but would like to be full-time employed, that number is decreasing. we see more full time. full-time employees have

benefits, retirement benefits, health benefits, others. what's significant about manufacturing, construction, and retail is that 2/3 of all jobs that have not been recovered are in those industries. we get those industries going. we get the economy going again. >> is there any difference between people who have been out of work for a long period of time, six months or more, and those who are just graduating from college? >> yeah. there is a difference because what you find is that, first of all, those who have been out of work for the benchmark is typically 27 weeks, that number is coming down. that gets better. individuals who are entering the labor market, that means there are more jobs opening up for those individuals. so the number is getting better all around. now on the down side, right, not a big down side, but one thing we would like to see is for the size of the labor market to expand, even at the expense of driving the unemployment rate up

because that means more people are coming into the labor market in search of jobs. so we still want to see that number come up some. that number went down about 50,000. >> right. >> not as bad as last month, but it still went down. >> it's not even here. the recovery here, the good news is not even for all folks who are out there. within the african-american population here you still have double digit unemployment. we're talking 15%. that did not improve? >> right. right. in fact, it worsened. the rising tide is not lifting all boats. there is a serious problem with african-american unemployment. it was 15.5% last month. this month it went up to 15.8%. even more importantly is that african-americans now comprise 22% of all unemployed workers. so there has to be something done to address that problem. so really if you say where are the areas that we are most

hardest hit, something has to be done? obviously construction. obviously manufacturing. then, of course, there's african-american unemployment. together you're talking about, if you add those three up, you're talking roughly 2/3 of all unemployment. >> it's a mixed bag but overall encouraging that we are moving in the right direction, the economy? >> overall moving very much in the right direction, and i think that the rate of unemployment come a year from now will be much lower than most economists predict. i would not be surprised at all to see that rate somewhere between 7.5% and 7.8% where, for example, most are still projecting that it will decrease very, very slowly. i think that recovery is going to be much faster even in the labor market. >> all right. well, we heard it here first. your prediction. we'll see if that happens for 2012. >> i may not be your favorite economist afterwards. >> if it's good news, yes. >> okay. >> have a good weekend. it is still the number one

campaign issue creating more jobs. all of the republican candidates believe that cutting taxes and government spending will create an environment for the free market to come back on its own. here is where they stand individually. newt gingrich would like to make the bush era tax cuts permanent. he would eliminate capital gains taxes, lower the corporate tax rate, and eliminate the estate tax. he promises to repeal banking and financial regulation reform and to make major changes to how the environmental protection agency and the food & drug administration operate. mitt romney has a 59-point plan, 59 poijnts, right, to get ameria back to work. at the heart is rolling back rates, cutting back taxes for corporations to 25%, and cutting discretionary spending by 5%. >> government does not create jobs, free american people pursuing their own dreams, that's how we create jobs. >> rick santorum wants to push

the corporate tax rate to zero for american manufacturers. he's also dedicated to cutting government spending and rolling back regulations. >> i believe in cutting taxes. i believe in balancing budgets. i propose cutting $5 trillion from this budget over the next five years. >> jon huntsman also says he'll cut taxes, reform the tax code to eliminate loopholes. he'll lower the corporate tax rate and roll back government regulations and financial reform laws. he wants to move towards energy independence and establish new lines of trade with other countries. ron paul, he'd get rid of the federal reserve and the income tax. return to the gold standard. shut down several government agencies like the epa and the department of education. rick perry favors a flat tax for all-americans and corporations of 20%. he'd like to shrink the federal government, roll back

regulations as well. he would also set a goal balancing the budget by the year 2020. all the candidates have zeroed in on what they like to call obama care saying that they would overturn the president's health care mandate. there you go. that's where they stand. from near tragedy to triumph. meet an olympic swimmer who is using his own story to teach kids they can overcome any obstacle. today, while our work continues, i want to update you on the progress: bp has set aside 20 billion dollars to fund economic and environmental recovery. we're paying for all spill- related clean-up costs. and we've established a 500 million dollar fund so independent scientists can study the gulf's wildlife and environment for ten years. thousands of environmental samples from across the gulf have been analyzed by independent labs under the direction of the us coast guard. i'm glad to report all beaches and waters are open

for everyone to enjoy. and the economy is showing progress with many areas on the gulf coast having their best tourism seasons in years. i was born here, i'm still here and so is bp. we're committed to the gulf for everyone who loves it, and everyone who calls it home.

breaking news here for you. the u.s. state department, a spokesman, is now confirming that the teenager from dallas who was mistakenly deported from colombia has left there for the united states. officials say she left colombia at 10:30 eastern. the u.s. embassy is working closely with could he lom bean owe fish als. she was mistakenly deported. set to return. this case has garnered a lot of attention as her family is planning to file lawsuits against the agencies, immigration agencies involved in her actually being removed and deported from the united states and brought to colombia.

this was a teenage run away from dallas who through various mistakes and miscalculations and false stories ended up being deported to colombia, staying there for a while. her family fought to get her back and now she is coming back and she's on her way home. we're going to have more of this story and the information as it develops. collin jones almost became one of the thousands of people who accidentally drowned. thanks to the life guard who saved his life and some much needed swimming lessons, he became the first african-american man to hold a world record in swimming. dr. sanjay gupta has the story in this week's "human factor." >> reporter: beijing, the 2008 olympics. collin jones wins the gold medal in the 400 freestyle relay becoming the second african-american swimmer to take home gold and the first to hold a world record.

but growing up learning to swim was the last thing on his mind. >> my dad was a basketball player so i watched the nba. >> reporter: but a trip to a water park at the age of five changed his life. >> we went down this ride and i ended up flipping upside down because i was so light and i almost drowned. my mom tried to come down and save me. she couldn't swim. so the life guard had to come get me. my dad had to get my mom. >> reporter: after that, learning to swim became a priority. not easy when you're growing up in the inner city neighborhood. >> i grew up in an area that wasn't the nicest area. wasn't the friendliest person to walk around in a little brief. >> reporter: he found challenges to being different. >> 15 years old. dad, there's no black people here. well, if you stuck to basketball you wouldn't have this problem. we laughed about it. that was a big step for me. overcoming it was hard. >> reporter: how many of you guys have ever had a swim lesson. >> reporter: which is why it's so important to inspire other kids that are like him.

>> i was getting sixth and seventh place. now i've got an olympic gold medal. there is hope. you have to stick with it and keep with it. that's what i tell kids. >> i don't see splashing. here. there we go. >> reporter: jones is sharing his story with kids who never imagined they'd be getting swimming lessons from an owe limb peian. >> this sport has given me a lot. i want to give back to it. i want to make sure i can show the path to another kid. >> reporter: and he's not stopping there. he's going for gold again and he hopes to compete in the summer olympic games later this year in london. >> collin jones, time of 22.52. >> if they learn anything from my story, it can happen. as long as you stick with it. there are going to be rough days. i still have rough days. it's never easy. but it's worth it. when you can sit back and you're standing on the podium, you hear your national anthem, that's what i swim for. >> reporter: dr. sanjay gupta, cnn, reporting.

well, the nfl playoff games get underway this weekend. before the kickoff turn into cnn 7:30 saturday and sunday morning. dr. sanjay gupta, he'll talk with a former pro bowl running back who is suing the nfl over health and safety issues. we're getting a lot of responses to today's talk back question. today we're talking about the race for the white house. we asked, what's your number one issue and why. matt says fiscal responsibility. you can't spend more than you take in. it's simple as that. more of your responses up next. dad, why are you getting that? is there a prize in there? oh, there's a prize, all right. [ male announcer ] inside every box of cheerios are those great-tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that can help lower cholesterol. is it a superhero? kinda. ♪

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issue and why? ryan says, the economy is the most important factor. it has the most adverse affect on all other problems. kenneth says america needs an energy policy and i don't hear anyone putting it on the agenda. there's a bit of info on their websites, but it seems to be a last concern to all republicans. peter says, immigration. this issue has been going on bush became president. deportation is separating family and friends. people that have been here since they were kids are being deported to a country they don't even know. lonnie says education. the education of the president, that is. keep the conversation going on my facebook page. facebook.com/suzannecnn. going to read more responses in the next hour. president obama, he is dropping by to visit the new watchdog in charge of protecting your money. we're watching and keeping a close eye on that. we'll bring you his remarks. it is from the consumer

financial protection bureau. that is live. we're going to explain, what does this agency do? what's it supposed to do? [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation, so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates. 8% every 10 years.age 40, fwe can start losing muscle -- wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb

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we're waiting for remarks from president obama at the consumer financial protection bureau. it's a new agency. we'll bring you those remarks live. this is what happened on wednesday, the president appointed richard cordray as director of this agency. he's going to pay a visit to cordray, the employees that are there. we also expect the president is

obviously going to talk about those good numbers, december jobs report that was just released earlier today. but first want to talk a little bit more about the consumer agency the president is visiting, how it's supposed to watch out for your money. alison kosik is at the new york stock exchange. tell us what this agency is set up to do. >> suzanne, so the name itself says it all. the consumer financial protection bureau. the point is to protect your financial interests. it's a one-stop shop place. it's going to oversee everything from student loans, debt collectors, pay day lenders, mortgage servicers. another reason for this bureau is the fact that millions of people, they don't belong to a bank. they go to these pay day lenders. they pay huge interest rates. all the terms aren't laid out clearly. if you remember, it was a huge, huge factor in the 2007 subprime crisis. so what this bureau is trying to do is try to correct that. it's trying to make sure people know what they're getting into. so as this kind of comes into

town, it will make sure that financial institutions play by the rules and that you understand the fine print, meaning the consumers. >> alison, as a controversial agency, the critics believe there are other government agencies and ways to protect consumers without creating more bureaucracy. how did this come about? >> okay. so if you remember, it was part of the wall street reforms that came about in 2010, aka the dodd-frank act. many republicans, they're opposed to creating this bureau. they want a committee leading it, not one person. also they think that it's just adding one more unnecessary layer of bureaucracy. president obama says it actually gets rid of bureaucracy because before it was kind of divided up. there were seven agencies responsible for protecting our money. either way you cut it, the bureau is sticking around for now. >> they also have a director already. what does he specifically hope to get done?

>> okay. so what the bureau's going to be doing, specifically working on creating a simple, less than five-page form that actually explains your mortgage and breaks down in clear terms the costs and the risks. the bureau is also working on one for student loans, credit cards as well. now that cordray is in place, the cfpb is going to have some powers that it can act on. it may be able to declare financial products deceptive and ban them outright. the cfpb is taking complaints from you. it's looking for scams. if you want to go ahead and complain or put in a complaint, go to their website. it's pretty easy to report any scam that you may see. >> all right. alison, thanks. we're awaiting president obama's remarks. his appointment of richard cordray as the first director of the consumer financial protection bureau, it is drawing some fire. mostly from republicans. it is because the constitution requires the president to have senate confirmation, right, before appointing cabinet secretaries or equivalent

officers to lead the agencies. there is an exception. the president may appoint an officer without senate confirmation when the senate's in recess. the problem is technically senate is not in recess. if you look in the senate chambers you'll see nothing but empty seats. the republican senators have refused to officially recess precisely because they want to deny president obama the ability to appoint cordray and others. so they've been careful not to adjourn for more than three consecutive days, therefore, no recess according to the constitutions appointments clause. you get it. our wolf blitzer took up the issue with cordray. >> you know there's a lot of legal challenges presumably that will be levelled at the way the president did this during this pro forma session, not necessarily a legal recess session. what do you think? >> well, wolf, i'm going to leave those distractions to others. i'm now the director of the consumer bureau. it's a big job, important job. our mission is to make financial

markets work better for the american people. >> let me repeated read to you a statement that mitt romney, the republican presidential candidate put out. he says, president obama's consumer financial protection bureau is perhaps the most powerful and unaccountable bureaucracy in the history of our nation headed by a powerful and unaccountable bureaucrat withunprecedented authority over the economy. i want you to respond and explain why he's wrong if you believe in fact, as i assume you do. >> well, i think there's a lot of accountability in the law for this bureau. but the other thing is there wasn't a lot of accountability in the financial marketplace before we had the meltdown in 2008. that was a real tragedy for this country and it hurt millions of people. part of it was because we had banks and non-banks competing in financial markets. non-banks were entirely unregulated in many cases. they led a race to the bottom and they hurt a lot of people. >> who will be overseeing from a

congressional perspective your bureau? >> i believe that we're subject to the leadership in both houses of catholic. i have spoken personally to those folks over the course of this process and pledged that i would give them the input and information that would help them understanding how we're doing our job and how to do it better. >> i want to go to the white house where jill dougherty is standing by to talk about the politics of this bill. again, this is back and for the here. it is a controversial move that the president has made. i am assuming that this is helping him in some ways for his democratic base who don't think that he's been tough enough with republicans and who look at all this gridlock and say -- do something. >> reporter: i think you would definitely be right if you thought about that. standing back, after that, you need a law degree to figure this out and -- but the whole idea is -- at least the white house would like to put it, is the president standing up for the consumer and they of course would say with this move the

president is standing up and that's what they want. look at the focus that the president has right now. jobs, average americans, helping average americans. and so the republicans can use this and say, no, it's the government riding roughshod over the american people, the president's doing something illegal. at least as they define it. but the white house can say, number one, we're legal and number two, we want to help the american consumer. obviously they believe that ultimately it is going to help them. >> they're banking on the fact they think this can work. all right. jill, thank you very much. appreciate it. looking at politics, lot of folks assume that mitt romney is going to win new hampshire's primary. right? but with four days until the showdown his rivals now are picking up speed. we'll have the latest in the political ticker. ike, "mom, wai" and i'm thinking, "shouldn't you have more energy than me? you're, like, eight!" [ male announcer ] for every 2 pounds you lose through diet and exercise alli can help you lose one more

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i want to take you to some live pictures out of minnesota. this is quite amazing when you look at the video here. this is a semi-truck that left interstate 94 near monticello, plunged through ice in a nearby creek. it happened just before 6:30 in the morning. state patrol man spokesman says that the driver amazingly managed to escape and crawled across the ice to safety there. he was treated and released from a local hospital. the truck live who -- it appears this trucker lost control of the rig, he left the road, plowed

through catcher cables, across two lanes of freeway traffic, then into this pond. amazingly, these pictures here, that driver surviving but obviously you can see that semi-truck in the ice and that truck driver amazingly managed to escape. serious business, folks running for president, but there are also a lot of laughs, too. comedians do it at candidates' expense. last night david letterman aimed his top ten list at newt gingrich. >> number ten -- new campaign slogan -- what up beginnigingst. nine, since losing iowa, he's married and divorced eight different women.

number two, losing it. when did he ever have? number one sign newt gingrich is losing it -- claims he was born in kenya. four days until the new hampshire primary. things heating up pretty fast. paul steinhauser live from manchester, new hampshire. paul, a little bit of a spike in momentum we're now seeing for rick santorum. is that right? >> yeah, it is right. how could i follow a funny guy like letterman? i'll try. i'm not nearly as funny. for santorum that close second place finish the other night in iowa in the caucuses is paying dividends. i'm told his campaign has brought in over $2 million in the last two days since that very impressive showing out there in iowa. look at this. brand-new poll numbers right here in new hampshire four days from the primary, this is of people likely to attend the republican primary, santorum in double digits for the first time

in this suffolk university/news 7 poll. romney the overwhelming front-runner here, ron paul in second place and everybody else in single digits. that's where the lay of the land is right now. >> i understand jon huntsman's been camping out in new hampshire, now has an endorsement. might have paid off a little bit, all that time. >> yeah. he has been here non-stop. he's basically living in this state. but the former u.s. ambassador to china, former utah governor, getting a good endorsement from the "boston globe" down there. "the boston globe" is right by a lot of people in the southern part of new hampshire. but here's the thing. this is a liberal editorial page, so i don't know how -- it definitely cannot hurt. the "globe" for the second cycle in a row did not endorse romney. >> we were all watching iowa

overnight, early into the morning. obviously it was such a close call, a close race. but now there are some who say that maybe they need a recount here. what is that about? >> maybe mitt romney didn't win by eight votes. here's the deal. somebody who attended a caucus site in one county said romney was overcounted, he got 20 extra votes. this person told our affiliate in iowa. remember, romney only won by eight votes over santorum so the iowa gop, the chairman says this is a two-week certification process. he doesn't think anybody will change by the end of that two weeks but he says he is reaching out to the county, to the precinct and trying to find out exactly what happened. stay tuned. maybe -- maybe -- the results in iowa aren't over yet. >> wouldn't that be amazing. an upset. thank you, paul. all eyes will be on new

hampshire tuesday and the new political year is heating up. make the best clois fhoice for politics. 7:00 p.m. eastern. top of the hour. i'm suzanne malveaux. want to get you up to speed. we are waiting for president obama. he's going to be addressing a new government agency, an agency that's set up to protect your money. we're going to have those remarks live as soon as he goes to the podium. better than economists expected. the bottom line on the december jobs report released today. the labor department says that employers added 200,000 jobs. december was the sixth month in a row where we saw 100,000 jobs or more added. the unemployment rate ticked down just a little bit to 8.5%. newt gingrich pushing ahead in new hampshire right now, trying to take some of the wind out of the front-runner, mitt

romney. all of the candidates preparing for the nation's first primary now just four days away. >> barack obama's view of the path of america is fundamentally different, therefore his vision for the future is different. so understand how foundational this election is. >> everybody has these fights over whether we're going to go right or we're going to go left. nobody real eyes the steering wheel is not connected. >> i'm betting that politics is still done the old-fashioned way in this state. that is you have to be seen, you have to be heard, have you to be felt. so we're going to put it to the test next week. >> south carolina since all the way back to 1980, the republican presidential nominee has always won this early primary state. now the showdown just two weeks away. everybody wants to win that prize. who gets it? our wolf blitzer is joining us now from washington. wolf, i understand this is a big one here. cnn has a poll out today that's

making news. where do the candidates stand right now? >> we're making news right here on your show, suzanne. this is the first poll on south carolina. cnn, our cousin, corporate cousin, "time" magazine,/orc. mitt romney is ahead 37%, santorum 19%, gingrich 18%. ron paul 12%. rick perry only 5%. jon huntsman 1%. now let's take a look. compare these numbers to where they were in december. romney was at 20%. now up to 37%. this amazing jump for rick santorum from 4% to 19%. newt gingrich, from 43% in december, to 18% now. ron paul doubled his from 6% to 12%. rick perry went from 8% to 5%. you can see what's going on right here. right now romney ahead with 37%,

santorum 19%. if you add up all those other conservatives, if one or two of them were to disappear, romney would have a presumably tougher time. having said all that, as you well know, two weeks ago the primary in south carolina is two weeks from tomorrow. a lot of time. we'll see what happens in new hampshire, whether someone emerges with a lot more memt omm but this is the first new poll out from south carolina. >> those numbers have changed dramatically for newt gingrich. that's a huge dip for him. we see santorum up a little bit. what do we think is behind romney's surge in south carolina? >> well, we went closer and took a look at some of the reasons why mitt romney is doing well. he went from 20% in december to 37%. we asked likely republican primary voters to identify their support. among tea party supporters, 36% said they liked romney. born-again christians, 41% like romney. independents, 40% romney.

he's doing well with tea party activists, born-again christians, independents. you can see that's one factor. here's another reason that a lot of this potentially though could change over the course of the next two weeks and a day. we asked likely republican primary voters if they were definitely going to support the candidate, they might change their mind, they're not sure. 49% -- that's almost half -- say they still might change their mind. that's a significant number. bottom line in all of this -- it is very fluid in south carolina. a lot could change between now and the january 21st primary in south carolina. but these are the first new numbers that are out. we're sharing them with you right now with our viewers. they'll be online. people want to go in-depth. >> as we know, that's so important what happens in south carolina. because they are pretty good at predicting who is going to get the nomination since back --

what? 1980 or so. >> yeah. >> we will actually be following this very closely next couple of weeks or so because what happens in south carolina very much -- may well determine who will be the republican nominee. thank you, wolf. appreciate it. in lima, peru, we have the first degree murder trial of joran van der sloot. it is now on hold into the middle of next week. this is the trial, you may recall, for the murder of stephany flores. it is not related to the disappearance of american teenager natalee holloway. >> translator: you do not plead -- deem yourself guilty according to what the prosecution has stated? >> translator: do i have time to think this further? >> so on hold today. earlier today van der sloot's

lawyer told cnn that his client is going to plead guilty to that murder. the dow has run-- the state department spokesman confirms that the 15-year-old left colombia about 90 minutes ago. early this morning her mother told soledad o'brien that they suspect she sim lply didn't question her deportation back in may. >> i think she basically did what she was told to do. >> so who do you think was telling her what to do? >> i don't know. i don't know. i don't know who these people are. >> strange case. an impressive show of iraq's military might today was not enough to deter the violence. at least three explosions struck near baghdad's green zone during the country's army day parade. there are no reports of casualties. the attacks happened despite

security across iraqi capitals in preparation for army day. iran is now planning more war games. state run media reports another round of military drills will take place next month in the strait of hormuz. the most recent exercise ended this week. iran threatened recently to block the strait if any new sanctions harm iranian oil exports. the government also threatens to take action if the u.s. aircraft carrier goes through that waterway. the same terror group that got that warning from iran just rescued 13 iranian hostages. sailors heard the iranians' call for help. the sailors managed to arrest 15 pirates, mostly somalians, and then send the freed hostages on their way. here's a rundown of some of the stories that we are covering this hour. first, good news day for people looking for work. so what are the presidential

candidates saying about jobs and the economy? also on the jobs front. where are college graduates finding work? poppy harlow will join us live with the answer. then, van der sloot goes to court in peru. you may recall, he is the man linked to the disappearance of american teenager natalee holloway in aruba back in 2005. we'll have an update on the case in peru. and kodak's moments of struggle. we'll tell you what the camera company is facing. >> push up all the way. there you go. up, up, up. keep them on the wall. ten seconds. go, go, go, do not drop the weights. down, down, down. >> final lyfinally, fitness exp jillian michaels will tell you what to do this new year to get fit. he wasn't focused on his future. but fortunately, somebody else was.

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the president has started speaking. he is outlining a new agency that's meant to protect you and protect your money. unfortunately, the signal is down. can't bring it to you live but as soon as we get it, we'll turn that tape around. but he has mentioned already he's been talking about the good jobs numbers coming out of the jobs numbers from december, about the unemployment rate that has dipped down just a little bit. he's also talking about this new agency that's meant to protect your money. he's thanked elizabeth warren for getting that agency started. it is a controversial proposal, a lot of republicans say we don't need any more agencies or bureaucracies to protect consumers. the president doesn't agree. we have encouraging news about the job market and the

economy. latest jobs report out today shows hiring picked up in december. the labor department says employers added 200,000 jobs. so it makes it six mons now straight where we saw 100,000 jobs or more added. unemployment rate ticking down slightly to 8.5%. the jobs report did actually set o -- did not actually set off a rally on wall street. the dow right now actually down 23 points. we're talking about jobs that pay an average salary of $66,000 a year. 94% of the grads from one program are getting offered. we're talking about folks in computer science. poppy harlow reports, there the market is high. >> social network is the wall street movie of this generation. >> you guys were the inventors of facebook? >> there's a lot of students who

want to be the next mark zuckerberg, they want to build something that's going to change the world. >> reporter: facebook founder mark zuckerberg may have dropped out of college but back on campus computer science is hot and students with coding skills are burning up the job market. by graduation how many companies reached out to you about working for them? >> i'd say between 10 and 20 reached out to me just before graduating. >> how many job offers did you get? >> around four or five. >> you haven't even graduated yet. how many companies have reached out to you? >> between 10 and 20. >> it is a common story for computer science majors. >> most of my friends are also getting -- have the same similar feelings. they're not really worried about jobs. >> reporter: just look at tech job postings to see the demand. at nyu that translated into a 94% placement rate for computer science grads last spring. for the class of 2011, computer science majors did the best on the job hunt. 56% had a job over before graduation compared with 41%

overall. what do your friends tell you who aren't computer science majors about getting a job? >> they think i don't live in reality. >> an average starting salary of $66,000 and job security may be why the major is taking off. with enrollment at nyu up 50% since 2007. >> many students, whether they are computer science majors are not, are starting to understand that coding is the literacy of the future and they want to get in on that. >> when i started the program was really small and you only had one section for each class and now there are three or four at least. >> reporter: they both participated in a summer program offered by hackny, founded by he have been and columbia professor chris wiggin to cultivate the talents of budding tech stars. >> it is like a backstage pass. >> in addition to each of the

topics, we also want to explain to them the variety of career options available to them. >> reporter: the hacking community may speak a slightly different language. >> you can present google fundamental -- >> what? >> reporter: but one thing is crystal clear. this is where the jobs are. >> i get e-mail every day asking me if i have a student that can build x or build y. >> are the jobs here today, gone tomorrow? >> is the internet going to be gone tomorrow? >> no. >> i don't think the jobs will be gone tomorrow either. >> poppy harlow joins us from new york. you said the national average, $66,000 is what these guys are making? >> that's what they're seeing right out of school. and anecdotally, we're hearing it is a lot more than that. both of the two kids you saw in the piece are telling us that their friends are getting job

offers, the lowest they've seen is $70,000. most of their friends are getting something comparable to an entry-level investment banking job, somewhere upwards of $100,000. paul worked for a start-up and he now consults for all different start-ups. the other student hasn't even graduated from columbia yet. he still has a semester to go and he's had multiple job offers that are just sitting on the table right now. they think the secret is learn to code. i do want to tell you, suzanne, there are places where people can do that. codecademy, a very cool thing online. they've started something called code year, where 200,000 people have signed up to learn how to code, including new york mayor mike bloomberg. i guess anyone can do it. >> sounds profitable as well. well worth it. thanks, poppy. it is still the number one campaign issue -- creating more jobs. all of the republican candidates believe cutting taxes and

government spending will allow the free market to come back on its own. newt gingrich would like to make the bush era tax cuts permanent, lower the corporate tax rate and eliminate estate tax. he promises to repeal banking and financial regulation reform, make major changes to how the environmental protection agency and food and drug administration operate. mitt romney has a 59-point plan to get america back to work. at the heart of it is cutting government spending, rolling back regulations on banks, cutting taxes for corporations to 25% and cutting discretionary spending by 5%. >> government does not create jobs. free american people pursuing their own dreams. that's how we create jobs. >> rick santorum wants to push the corporate tax rate to zero for american manufacturers. he's also dedicated to cutting government spending and rolling back regulations. >> i believe in cutting taxes. i believe in balancing budgets.

i propose cutting $5 trillion from this budget over the next five years. >> jon huntsman also says he'll cut taxes and reform the tax code to eliminate loopholes. he'll lower the corporate tax rate and roll back government regulations and finance reform law. he wants to move toward energy independence and establish new lines of trade with other countries. ron paul said he'd get rid of the federal reserve and the income tax, return to the gold standard and shut down several government agencies like the epa and department of education. rick perry favors a flat tax for all americans and corporations of 20%. he also likes to shrink the federal government and roll back regulation and balance the budget by 2020. all the candidates have zeroed in on what they like to call bomb care, saying they would overturn the president's health care mandate.

now it's your chance to "talk back." talking about jobs, immigration, national security. that's just some of the issues the candidates are focused on during the debates and campaign stops. what topics would you like them to discuss? what is the number one issue and why? post your responses to my facebook page at facebook.com/suzannecnn. i'm going to air them later this hour. so you think it's the season for snow. right? question is, where is it? there is barely enough to coat the slopes at california ski resorts. we got that story behind the warm winter. ere we're at now, we just eat whatever tastes good? like these sweet honey clusters... actually there's a half a day's worth of fiber in every ... why stop at cereal? bring on the pork chops and the hot fudge. fantastic. are you done sweetie? yea [ male announcer ] fiber beyond recognition. fiber one. hey, i love your cereal there-- it's got that sweet honey taste. but no way it's 80 calories, right? no way. lady, i just drive the truck.

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so we're well into winter

but kind of still feels like we're waiting for it. ski resorts are struggling with no significant snowfall to speak of. we got dry weather, warmer than usual temperatures. chad, i guess we got to ask what gives here. i actually love the warm weather but it is not for everybody. >> i had the top down on my car a couple days ago. >> i'm not complaining. >> it's fantastic. i thought it was amazing. the first ski resort to open and the last, they stay open the whole year but they only have 12 runs out of 105 runs open right now because of the lack of snow. lincoln, nebraska, 68%. omaha, 66. there were 336 record highs across the country yesterday. all of the cities here in the middle part of the plains, now this warm weather's moving to the east so, yes, east coast, you'll get it. even the southeast will get it but as it comes out of the gulf

of mexico, a lot of rain will develop across parts of texas. where is the snow forecast? here's where it was last year. some spots in the colorado rockies, over 100 inches of snow by now. all across the upper plains, upper midwest, a foot of snow or more in many spots. even in the northeast they had a white christmas. this year, not even close. the snow -- either the snow or wind has taken all this away. a couple of light snowflakes along the lake where we had some lake-effect snow the past couple of days, but that is it. our snow is gone. there's just nothing around. breckenridge, only 59 runs open right now. they're hoping for more snow. vail, only 29% of the terrain is open. that's unheard of for christmas skiing. >> if you're a skier, you're out of luck. but if you like kind of warm weather -- >> we have the same kind of la nina pattern last year where i was looking at, where there is a 25-inch base this year, they had

325 inches of snow last year. >> are you a skier? >> i am. from clear up in nebraska. drive to colorado. >> we'll see what happens. i want you to check out this video. this is really cool. this is a clinz hotel chain, offering something new to guests here. this is a night on a retired soviet aircraft carrier. this at any time exactly the type of accommodations the soviet military had. cost $15 million to renovate this. it is part of a military theme park being marketed as kind of a unique experience, high-end travelers. you've got these lavish presidential suites and 148 hotel rooms. most of them aren't ready, ind, but i guess the restaurant is now open. >> are there state rooms? >> isn't that cool though? >> my son is for the cub scouts. we get to sleep on "the york."

in february. getting motivated, losing weight? celebrity fitness trainer jillian michaels will join us live for details on a new campaign to cut back on fried food. e medication, so we see people suffering from dry mouth more so. we may see more cavities, bad breath, oral irritation. a dry mouth sufferer doesn't have to suffer. i would recommend biotene. the enzymes in biotene products help supplement enzymes that are naturally in saliva. biotene helps moisten those areas that have become dry. those that are suffering can certainly benefit from biotene. i want healthy skin for life. [ female announcer ] don't just moisturize, improve the health of your skin with aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. the natural oatmeal formula goes beyond 24-hour moisture. it's clinically proven to improve your skin's health in one day, with significant improvement in 2 weeks.

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here's a rundown of some of the stories we're working on. joran van der sloot's murder trial begins in peru but his lawyer surprises everybody today with a sudden change of plans. and then we're going to find out if that cool rock climbing commercial is really doable. jeanne moos is all over that one. and later, keep yourself in the best shape possible for the new year. fitness superstar jillian

michaels will join us live with her plan. first, joran van der sloot. a name most commonly associated with the disappearance of the alabama teenager natalee holloway almost seven years ago. today van der sloot is going before a judge in a courtroom charged with first degree murder. it is not about aruba and it is not about natalee holloway but it is about something else and there was a surprise change. here's rafael romo. >> reporter: joran van der sloot has spent the past 18 months as an inmate of the castro castro prison in peru's capital city of lima. some inmates see the 24-year-old dutchman as a celebrity. after his arrest in chile in june of 2010, he was sent back to peru and taken to the lima prison to await trial in the robbery and beating death of 21-year-old stephany flores. this surveillance video shows flores and van der sloot playing

pocker at a local casino. another video shows the couple entering van der sloot's hotel room where the victim's lifeless body would later be found. she had suffered multiple injuries, a broken neck and was covered in blood. the killing happened on may 30th, 2010, exactly five years after alabama teenager natalee holloway disappeared in aruba after spending time with van der sloot. though arrested as a suspect in holloway's death, van der sloot, then 17, was never charged due to a lack of evidence. in peru, van der sloot initially confessed to killing flores. >> translator: so it is true and i'm going to ask you this and you say yes or no. did you kill stephany tatiana? >> yes. >> you killed stephany tatiana? >> yes. >> but he later recanted. peruvian authorities say they have done everything according

to law. >> translator: the statement given by the dutch citizen where he declares himself convicted and confesses his crime was done according to the formalities of the law. >> reporter: unlike other inmates at the prison, van der sloot has a cell to himself and he still has the support of his family and some friends. >> what the media portrays him as is far from the truth. he's a good person and a good friend and he's not the sirrial killer-sociopath-psychopath the media makes him out to be. >> reporter: the flores family says it was van der sloot needs to be punished to the maximum extent of the law. >> we need justice. he's a psycho murderer and he has to pay. >> in the past few minutes we learned that joran van der sloot began to speak in the court and began to plead guilty but then his attorney stopped him, asked that the trial be suspended until next week.

judges agreed, the murder trial is now adjourned until wednesday. i want to bring in paul cowan here, criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor in new york. wall, kind of strange what happened today here. the defense team said they were going to plead guilty. then there was this moment in the courtroom. i want to play a little bit of that and how that unfolded. >> translator: so you do not plead guilty -- you don't say yourself guilty according to what the prosecution has stated? >> translator: do i have time to think this further? >> okay. so paul, van der sloot says he needs more time to reflect on his plea. is he really unsure? is he trying to buy time? what's the strategy behind this? >> well, it's very, very strange, suzanne, because the defense attorney was quite pleased with the deal that had been worked out. he might get as little as eight years in prison for what is an

absolutely brutal murder. so i can understand why his attorney would want him to go forward with this plea but obviously when he was starting to what -- we call it a plea allocution, an explanation to the court of how you committed the crime, van der sloot was going off script and if he doesn't describe the crime in the proper way, the court is not allowed to accept the guilty plea. so i think under the circumstances the defense attorney decided maybe we should put the case over so i can talk to him and see if we can get the plea put back in. so this, by the way, this even happens in american courtrooms sometimes when a defendant sort of goes off script and starts to say things that surprise the lawyers and the judges and sometimes there is a delay. so maybe that's what's going on here. >> i think they'll sort all this out when they come back after this delay. now let's go to the case of aru aruba, the death of the american girl, as we know, natalee holloway. that case is still open and he was arrested twice as a suspect in her murder. because of lack of evidence, he

was released. is it possible that if there's new evidence that's discovered or even the body of natalee holloway emerges, that van der sloot could be brought back to aruba to face murder charges in her death? >> yes, that remains a possibility, although i add a cautionary note. in the united states, there's no statute of limitations on murder. my understanding is that in aruba, there is a limitation. so they will have to develop a case before that statute of limitations expires. and which one it is depend on what they're going to charge him with. it could be as long as 10 or 15 years. ironically, suzanne, the reason he got pick up in peru was he extorted allegedly $260,000 from the holloway family and he used that money to travel to peru and of course he's under charges in alabama as well. >> so could he be extradited to the united states and face those charges in alabama or does he have to go ahead and fulfill this sentence before he's sent

to the united states on that case? >> my understanding is that the united states has filed what's called a detainer through interpol and that that detainer will require peruvian officials to turn him over to the united states when he has completed his peruvian sentence. now i will tell you that occasionally governments negotiate with each other and they allow a prisoner to be extradited before completion of his sentence so that remains a possibility as well. but my bet is he'll serve his time in peru, then be brought back to the united states for trial on the extortion charges. >> paul cow an, thank you very much. a tv commercial has gone viral on the internet. not for what it's advertising.

president obama speaking to the nation and also a new government agency that's meant to protection your money. the president spoke a little while ago about the state of the economy, the jobs numbers and what congress needs to do to move forward in its economic recovery. let's take a listen. >> so we're making progress. we're moving in the right direction. one of the reasons for this is the tax cut for working americans that we put in place last year. when congress returns, they should extend the middle class

tax cut for all of this year to make sure that we keep this recovery going. >> the president pushing forward, trying to convince the american people he's got his eye on the economy during this election season. have you seen this credit card commercial? two climbers scaling this steep rock. it has gone viral on the net. it's got us wondering is this real? is it special effects? the woman in this ad tells her jeanne moos, give credit where it's due. >> reporter: these days, when seeing is no longer believing, maybe you've seen this commercial and wondered if you can believe what you see. >> a new belt, some nylons, and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? ♪ somebody left the gate open >> reporter: i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. >> reporter: the reaction online has been -- this can't be real. >> yeah, it's real. >> reporter: thank you for making viewers physically dizzy

and sick. i just can't help get iting wigi when she gets to the top. >> it is actually not very technically difficult. >> reporter: this is a rock formation called aen vent art near moab, utah. who is the ad girl? >> i had a camera on my helmet. so it is me like looking out my feet as i walk. >> reporter: the feet belong to katie brown. she became one of the top female climbers after she began competing at the age of 15. citi bank hired her and alex to do the commercial. you might recognize alex from the jaw dropping piece "60 minutes" did on him. alex is famous for freeh soloing, climbing incredible rock walls without ropes. >> there is no adrenalin rush. like if i get a rush, something's gone horribly wrong. >> reporter: in the citi bank commercial, the two climbers were using ropes, no one fell.

though katie says she had a few scary falls. like this one caught by the photographer. viewers of the commercial are almost as curious about the lyrics to the song. is it "somebody likes potatoes"? somebody lego my eggo ♪ ♪ somebody left the gate open >> it's a little intimidating. >> the spot's even been parodied by someone using footage from a swedish diaper commercial. >> i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. >> reporter: that high up, who wouldn't need a diaper. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> i love that. choice words from jill wan

michaels about diet and exercise. >> push up all the way! there you go. up, up, up, up. keep 'em up. on the wall for ten seconds. go, go, go. do not -- do not drop the weights. down, down, down. >> jillian michaels will join us live. but first, it is a new year. u.s. news and world is ranking the best diets of 2012. the best diet for diabetics and a healthy start is called the ornish diet. easiest diet is weight watchers. can you guess the best overall diet? stay with us. the answer up next.

so we told you, "u.s. news & world report" is lending those dieting a hand by ranking the best diets of 2012. check it out. number one diet for diabetics and a healthy heart is the ornish diet. easiest diet to follow is weight watchers. the best overall diet -- it's called the d.a.s.h. diet, the diet to stop hypertension. if diets don't motivate to you drop those extra pounds, maybe this will. >> five, four, three, two, one. go! go!

sink, sink, sink, sink. down. good, quicker, quicker, quicker, quicker. go! pop! pop! pop! and back! fast! go! >> okay. fitness coach, health expert jillian michaels gets dozens of people to drop the pounds, get healthier. she's joining us live from new york. it is great to see you. first, i have to admit everybody knows i'm a big fan. i got your dvds. anybody who works out with you knows that it is a kick-butt workout. but what's really important as well is what you eat. what do you make of all of this, this dieting thing? what's most important here? >> gosh, you know, i think we're always looking for a quick fix and we try this diet out and we try that diet out. but at the end of the day, it's actually really simple. way more simple than we make it all out to be. you need to count calories because fat's nothing other than stored energy. a calorie is a unit of energy. if you eat more calories than you burn, you're going to gain

weight. when you count calories, weight loss is simple math, it puts the power in your hands. obviously common sense. you want to choose healthier food options. you want to avoid a lot of the chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, high fructose corn syrups, trans fats and all that. not only is it bad for your health but it also impairs or impedes your metabolism. >> i understand you are part of a new campaign co-sponsored by pop chicks and google encouraging folks to end our obsession with fried food. now i love fried chicken. >> no! >> that's one of my favorites. is a tough thing for me but what should we be eating? >> okay. well let's talk about snacks, for example. you did mention pop chips which is a little company that i discovered about three years ago and i fell in love with the product. you look at something like this in a single serving of pop chips, there's 14u7b calories. nothing artificial, no

preservativ preservatives. can you give the kids to go to school, give the husband. it is grab and go, accessible and affordable. of course i want to see fresh veggies, raw nuts, a piece of raw fruit. those are all great options as well but when we talk about switching off of the fried foods, something common sense, much smarter choice. when dealing with things like fried chicken -- here's what i would ask you to do. be creative in the way you prepare it. so why don't you try crushing up some almonds and dipping the fish in the chicken and the almond and then baking it. you'll get that crispy texture and all the flavor but without all the calories. >> does it really taste as good as the real fried chicken? >> what are you telling me? yes! >> i will try it. >> i can promise you this. look. i can promise you this. at the end of the day, i get it, fried food can taste good. however, here's what's going to feel a lot better than the way that fried chicken's going to

taste. seeing your grandchildren graduate from college. you know? wearing a bikini at your 20th wedding anniversary in the bahamas. think about those things. really try to put it in perspective because it's so worth it to make those small changes. i guarantee you the chicken will still taste good. the pop chips, they taste great. these simple changes are going to make such a big difference in the long run. >> i understand you've got new dvd out called "killer buns and thighs" and "extreme shed and shred." tell us a little bit if we can eat a little bit of the that fried chicken, what do we need to do in terms of working off those calories. >> you're pushing me on the fried chicken. you're killing me. the reality is this. of course, you can indulge in treat foods in moderation. so if you wanted to have the occasional piece of fried chicken even though i wish you wouldn't, or the occasional scoop of ice cream, it is okay.

it's just a matter of doing it with moderation, with balance. so if you're exercising, what that's doing is it is burning more calories, it is utilizing more energy, so if you're taking in more energy through those kinds of foods but you're burning more energy with exercise, it is going to create sort of a status quo. you probably won't gain weight from those foods. however, if you want to aggressively lose weight you need to remember that you need to eat right and work out at the same time to reverse the weight gain and go into weight loss. >> we're all going to be working on that for the new year for those killer buns. thank you, jillian michaels. great to see you. >> thank you. appreciate it. have a great day. getting a lot of responses to today's "talk back" question. we are talking about the race for the white house. we asked what is your number one issue and why. outsourcing and foreign guest workers. until we stop shipping jobs overseas and giving preference to lower paid immigrants over americans here at home our economy will never improve.

more of your responses up next. but first here's some free advice from the cnn help desk. time for the help desk where we get answers to your financial questions. joining me this hour, gary schatsky, a financial planner and president of objecti objectiveadvice.com. gail cunningham with the national credit foundation. gary, alexandra wrote in -- i'm trying to refinance an investment home that other members of my family live in. the property's financer tells me that my debt ratio is too high and that they have no option for me because the home is not my primary residence. how can i get that monthly payment down? she's trying to refinance work out a deal here. >> it is really a difficult situation. because if the banking institutions aren't going to fund you because of your credit situation, it becomes problematic across the board. an investment property is particularly problematic because standards are much higher. you can try to think about some

out of the box scenarios. one might be -- i don't know what the family situation is. if you sold it to the family, all of a sudden it would be a primary residence situation and that could change the equation. other possible alternatives in some cases could be if you had a 401(k), under the right circumstances, big caveat, you might take a little bit out on a loan there that you have to pay off and pay down your other debt which could change your other ratios. >> you got to think about the tax consequences. >> no, no, you're borrowing, not drawing it out. but you'll have to pay it back on a relatively accelerated basis and woe to you if you don't do it. >> good tip. gail, your question comes from thomas in new mexico. my wife and i are upside down on two car loans. we've maxed out our credit card and our student loan debt will hit in six months. my wife recently lost her job and we just had our first child. we cannot afford a home and have been bouncing around to families' houses. is bankruptcy an option for us.

they are in such a hard position that a lot of americans, unfortunately, face. >> exactly. there's a world of financial pain out there and they are very representative of what's going on in homes across america. they sound like the ideal candidate for bankruptcy. but with that said, i want to underscore that bankruptcy is a very serious financial decision. should be someone's last stop, not their first. my advice is to go sit down across the desk from a trained and certified credit counselor. you owe it to yourself to do that. you owe it to your family. and also you're not going to beat yourself up down the road if that lady or that man said, you know, bankruptcy's your best option. i would certainly recommend going to nfcc, member agency for that help. from talk to the experts. thank you both so much. if you've got a question you want answered, e-mail us any time. cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com. this is $100,000.

we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense.

ken says -- equality, how can we elect a leader in the country of freedom and choice when they don't believe that a group of people are equal in all ways? i'd like to hear one of these candidates address the poor. not even one of them acknowledges that are people in this country who can't qualify for a mortgage or who work but have no way there. adam says, marijuana legalization? 50% of america wants to see it legal. why is it not something people talk about on the campaign trail? michelle says -- tax reform. everyone needs to pay their fair share. corporations made $1.97 trillion in profits but are hoarding the cash and hardly paying any taxes. charlie says -- my number one issue is partisan politics. it prevents all other problems from being properly dealt with. it's the cause of all the gridlock. keep the kfgs going on my facebook page,

facebook.com/suzannecnn. corn just might be a super food considering what happened in central michigan. police say that corn stalks saved a boy's life after a rollover crash. we'll explain how.otat s taste great. but did you know they're good for you too? they're high in vitamins and potassium. and idaho potatoes are now certified to carry the heart checkmark from the american heart association for foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol. so they're good for my family, and for yours. heart smart idaho potatoes. always look for the grown in idaho seal. can you enjoy vegetables with sauce and still reach your weight loss goals? you can with green giant frozen vegetables. over twenty delicious varieties have sixty calories or less per serving and are now weight watchers-endorsed. try green giant frozen vegetables with sauce. we're getting back in shape. oh! try these. i sprinted here... wow! from your house?! from the car.

unh! ooh. [ male announcer ] get back on track with low prices on everything you need. backed by our ad match guarantee. walmart.

checking out stories and videos making news cross-country. local media reports burglary suspects ran a red light in oklahoma city as they tried to get away. the truck